Extremely poor air quality blankets Lethbridge region, southern Alberta

Aug 2, 2026 | 11:10 AM

Some of the worst air quality that the Lethbridge region has experienced in quite some time is hovering over the area this weekend.

As of 10 a.m. Sunday morning, the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) from Environment & Climate Change Canada for the city was measured at 10+, the highest reading on the 11-point scale.

At a very high risk, it’s strongly suggested the general population reduce or reschedule strenuous outdoor activities, especially if you have symptoms like coughing and throat irritation.

For those more at risk, who have breathing issues or a heart condition, the recommendation is to avoid all strenuous activities outdoors, until conditions change for the better.

With an extremely poor air quality, today’s Lethbridge Bulls game against the Sylvan Lake Gulls at Spitz Stadium has been pushed back by two hours from the original, 2 p.m. start to 4 p.m.

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The Bulls updated fans just before 2 p.m. on their Facebook page.

The Town of Coaldale also announced late Sunday morning, that its outdoor pool and Tot Lot would be closed until further notice, due to poor air quality.

“If air quality conditions improve by early afternoon, the pool may reopen later today. If the pool does not reopen today, it is expected to reopen tomorrow, Monday, August 3, as usual, pending air quality conditions,” said a post on the Town’s Facebook page.

As of 2 p.m., there had been no update.

While air quality hasn’t been great since Friday, when much of southern Alberta was placed under either a yellow or orange alert, based on smoke drifting in from wildfires in B.C, it was, generally, at a moderate health risk.

That, however, changed early Sunday morning when the reading spiked from 5 (5 a.m.) to 10 (6 a.m.) and then 10+ an hour later, where it remained all morning.

The 1 p.m. reading was at 10+.

Conditions, though, are forecast to dramatically improve on Monday dropping back down to a low-risk rating of 3.

by Dave Lueneberg

Extremely poor air quality blankets Lethbridge region, southern Alberta

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